Karla
Karla was the 803rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 340 babies. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 1964 (2,060). Over the last ten years it has moved down 292 places. More babies were named Karla in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning free man (feminine of Karl) · Germanic
Say it KAR-luh /ˈkɑrlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #803 girls, down 127 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 340girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19642,060 babies
- Total since 1880
- 91,895babies recorded
What does the name Karla mean?
Karla is a feminine form of Karl, made by adding -a, according to Wiktionary. Karl is the German and Scandinavian form of Charles. Wiktionary traces it to Old High German karal and Proto-Germanic words meaning a free man or a man; DMNES glosses Charles as "man" or "freeman." Karla has been used in the US since 1915 and was most common in the 1960s.
karal (Old High German, “man”)*karlaz (Proto-Germanic, “free man”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Carla, Karl, Charles, Caroline, Charlotte.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Karla' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Karl' (German section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Charles', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Karla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 309 since 1959.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #803 | 340 |
| 2020 | #676 | 420 |
| 2010 | #325 | 989 |
| 2000 | #203 | 1,587 |
| 1990 | #276 | 1,002 |
| 1980 | #251 | 1,026 |
| 1970 | #196 | 1,634 |
| 1960 | #206 | 1,655 |
| 1950 | #319 | 592 |
| 1940 | #592 | 137 |
| 1930 | #2,947 | 10 |
| 1920 | #5,353 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Karla, counting every spelling?
Karla has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #803 for girls in 2025.
How many kids will share the name Karla?
340 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Karla (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Karla born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Karla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Karla?
About 83,800 people born in the US named Karla are alive today, with a median age of 42; half are between 24 and 60. That makes Karla mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Karla by state
How common Karla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.0×), Texas (1.8×), California (1.6×), Florida (1.5×). In 18 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Karla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Karla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Karla · Sibling names for Karla
Questions about the name Karla
What does Karla mean?
Karla means “free man (feminine of Karl)” (Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Karla?
Karla was the 803rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 340 babies. Its best year was 2002, when it ranked 175th; the most babies were born in 1964 (2,060). Over the last ten years it has moved down 292 places. More babies were named Karla in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Karla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Karla in the US.
Where is Karla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Karla was most common in Arizona (0.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and District of Columbia.